This invention relates to a tool for removing debris between adjacent planks of decks and similar structures.
Outdoor decks typically include wood or composite planks arranged in a generally parallel layout with a narrow gap or crevice between adjacent planks. The gap allows expansion space for wood planks and facilitates water drainage. This gap, however, commonly clogs with debris including leaves, pine needles, and other matter. The build-up of debris between the planks accelerates deterioration of the planks, causes the deck surface to become slippery, and inhibits water shedding. Further, periodic maintenance of the deck, typically consisting of painting or staining, requires complete removal of the debris build-up. Thus, a need remains for a tool designed to efficiently and completely remove debris and build-up between deck planks.
The methods and devices of the prior-art address this problem with varying success. One common approach uses pressurized water to forcefully evict debris from the gap between deck planks. This requires a cumbersome mechanism that receives a supply of water from an outdoor water tap, a nozzle apparatus and a pressurizing means. The pressurizing means typically includes either an internal combustion engine or an electric motor to compress the water. One significant limitation of this approach is that the high-pressure fluid stream damages the surface of the deck by exploding the cell membrane of the wood deck planks, or by removing a surface treatment of stain, oil, paint or other covering. Further, the high-pressure wash stream poses a safety concern to the user and care must my used to avoid contact with the effluent stream because severe injury can result. And, when a combustion engine provides the pressurized stream, additional hazards include the storage, transportation and evaporation of a combustible and hazardous chemical and pollution of the air during use.
Another approach to removing debris build-up between deck planks includes a device described by Gairdner in U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,683 issued on 16 Sep. 1997. The Gairdner device includes an elongated, hollow and lightweight shaft with a tine at one end and a handle at the opposite end. The tine, sized with a rectangular cross-section and width of a size to fit between the planks of a deck, provides a flat engagement surface arranged at an first angle relative to the horizontal deck planks and a second angle relative to the shaft. An operator locates the tine between the deck planks and either pulls or pushes the handle parallel to the arrangement of deck planks. This causes the tine to contact and loosen the debris. However, one limitation of this design includes the dislodged debris may be extracted from the gap between planks only to be deposited on the surface of the planks, which requires a secondary operation to remove it. One plausible secondary operation would include sweeping or using pressurized water to clean the surface—however, both of these techniques re-introduce the debris between the planks and may cause the debris to become re-stuck.
Another approach, described by Bowen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,205,608 issued on 27 Mar. 2001, includes a device having a blade attached to a handle and a pair of wheels for contacting the upper planar surface of the deck planks. Yet another attempt, described by Lee in U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,928 issued on 6 Jul. 2004, includes a device consisting of a pole pivotably mounted to a cleaning head. In both the Bowen and Lee references, debris build-up is removed between the planks; however, both devices simply dump the debris on top of the deck surface necessitating a remedial clean up to remove the deck. Further, the remedial clean up often consists of pressure washing or sweeping. And, this inefficient remedial step results in a re-deposit of the debris during sweeping or damage to the deck from the use of pressurized water.
Thus, there remains a need for a deck-cleaning tool that not only adequately fits between the deck planks, but does not re-deposit the debris build-up on top of the surface of the deck. Moreover, such an improved deck-cleaning tool should eliminate a remedial cleaning operation.